Abdominal support



W. W AGENS El L ABDOMINAL SUPPORT July 21, 1936.

Filed March 15, 1934 INVENTOR ATTQRNEY I port.

Patented July 21, 1936 ATENT OFFICE ABDOMINAL SUPPORT William Wagenseil, New York, NY. Application March 13, 1934, S erialNo. 715,259

6 Claims.

This invention relates to an abdominal sup- It is especially useful in the treatment of -cases of visceroptosis, although it may be used in other cases. Instead of using a pad with a fixed bulge, my pad is constructed to permit adjustment ofthe amount of the bulge or protuberance. The bulge is at the lower part of the pad with its upper part sloping forwardly and upwardly so as to provide upward support for the abdomen. Said bulge is made adjustable to; lift up the abdomen as much as needed by ,the wearer.

While my support is primarily designed for causingupward pressure on the lower part of the abdomen, it may be used on other parts of the body where its action would apply.

A further object is the provision of ball and socket joints for universal mounting of the body springs upon the pad.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent upon a further study of the specifications and drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective rear view of the abdominal support.

leather cover partly lifted to show the movable ,bulge plate, said plate being partly broken away Fig. 2 is arear elevation of the pad with the to show aguide sleeve. Fragments of the body springs are also shown.

Fig. 3 is a section taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, the leather cover being in closed position and the spring omitted.

In this figure the bulge plate is but slightly spaced from the front plate. 7

Fig. 4 is a section similar to Fig. 3 except that the bulge plate is spaced a greater distance from the front plate.

Fig. 5 is a plan view taken along the line 55 of Fig. 3, a portion of the socket connection for oneof the body springs being broken away and the, leather cover separated at the bottom of the pad but not folded backas in Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the bulge plate shown removed from the pad.

Fig. '7 is a partial section and elevation of the socket connection taken along the line I -'I of Fig. 5, a portion of the rounded head being broken away to show the shank of the ball member in the slot, and

Fig. 8 is an elevation of the end of the body spring by itself shown removed from the pad.

The abdominal support comprises a pad 8 and body springs ii, having back pads ID.

Pad 8 has a metallic front plate I I which is convexed to the front, said convexity being chiefly about a vertical axis. Projecting from the rear and located near the bottom of front plate II are a pair of guide sleeves I2. Between said sleeves is located an adjusting screw or shaft denoted in its entirety by the numeral I3. The

slotted head I4 of thescrew projects in front of of front plate II. The threaded rear end of the shank of screw I 3, engages the internal threading of sleeve II, which projects forwardly from metallic bulge plate I8. On either side of sleeve I! and opposite guide sleeves I2 are pins I9 which are adapted slidably to engage said guide sleeves. While the front and the bulge plates are preferably of metal, other stiff materials, such as pyroxylin, might be used. 7

Bulge plate I8 is convexed toward the rear, about a horizontal axis. The side edges of said plate are in addition curved toward the front and the plate as a whole slightly convexed toward the front about a vertical axis. Above the region of maximum rearward protuberance plate I8 extends'for a greater distance than below. The convexity of plate I8 about a horizontal axis above said region of maximum protuberance flattens out.

A chamois covering 20 backed with cotton felt 25 is provided for the back of pad 8 passing over bulge plate I8. Back covering 20 and 25 is fastened to front chamois covering I5 all around the edges of front plate II by suitable means, such as stitching 36. No layer of cotton felt is provided for the front covering I5. Back chamois covering 20 is provided with suitable slack to allow for various settings of bulge plate I8 with respect to front plate II. The coverings are preferably of chamois, but other suit- .able soft flexible material might be used as cotton cloth.

The body springs are fastened to front pad 8 by means of ball and socket joints, the left hand one in Fig. 5 being denoted in its entirety by numeral 26. Each joint comprises a rounded head 2| at the forward end of a shank 21 fastened to front plate II.

'action will apply.

,3l to spring 9. Spring 9 has the usual chamois plate I8 is drawn close toward front plate II, as

in Fig. 3. By turning said screw in the opposite direction bulge plate I8 is spaced farther away w from front plate I I, as in Fig. 4. The more bulge plate I8 is spaced from front plate I I, the greater will be the lifting action on the abdomen-of the wearer of the support. The fact thatthe uni-1 versal joints 26 of body springs 9 are located above the region of maximum protuberance of "bulge plate l8, playsa part in the lifting action. :The front -pad is in effect a lever, fulcrumed about the horizontal axis of rotation of the pad, which isalong a horizontal line passing :through'said joints. Theupp'er arm of the lever/which is the 'portion'of pad 8 abovesaid horizontal axis is of greater length than the distance from said axis to the region of maximum protuberance below, so

that the pressure 'of the abdomen'on the upper part will cause said region of maximum protuber- 'ance'to swing upward with a greater pressure.

While" the claims'specify' my'd'evice as an abdominal support, theyare intended-to be broad enough to cover my device where used on other parts of the body in such situations where its 1, A front pad for an abdominalsupport comprising a front plate, a pair of spaced rearwardly extending guide means; upon said: plate, a bulge plate, a pair of forwardly extending guide means slidably engagingsaid -former means,a' shaft 7 rotatably mounted inan opening provide in said front plate, said opening being located immediate of said rearwardly extending guide means the rear portion of saidshaft being threaded, the

front end of said'shaft extending in front of the front plate and having an enlarged head thereon for enabling the shaft to be manually rotated andtoprevent rearward axial motion of said shaft, means on said shaft preventing forward axial motion of the shaft and 'an internally threaded sleeve extending forward from the bulge plate, the rear portion of said shaft being threaded into said sleeve whereby rotation of said shaft varies the distance between said plates. 7

, 2. A front pad for an abdominal support comprising a frontjplatepa pair of spaced rearwardly extending guide means upon said plate,a bulge plate, .a pair of forwardly extendingguide means 'upon 'saidbulge plate slidably engaging said a former means, a'fmember rotatably mounted in an opening provided in said front plate, said opening being located intermediate of 's'aidjrearwardlyextending guide means, the front end of said member extending in front of the front plate for enabling said member tobemanually rotated,

the front portion ofsaid member overlapping the edge of said hole both in the front and in' the rear'of the front plate'to prevent axial motion *of said member, and apiece onsaid bulge plate extending forward a' portion of the distance beand an internally threaded sleeve fastened to the .wardly about a horizontal axis and beingof substantially less height than the front plate, apair tween the two plates opposite said piece, said member and said piece being in threaded engagement whereby rotation of said member varies the distance between said plates.

'3. A front pad for an abdominalsupport com- 5 prising a front plate, a bulge plate located to the rear of the front plate, a pair of spaced guide I means extending between said plates, each of said guide means comprising two parts, one of said parts being a sleeve and theother of'said parts being a pin slidably mounted in said sleeve, one of said parts being'fastened to the rear of the front plate and the other of said parts being fastened to the front of the bulge plate, a screw rotatably mounted in a hole'provided in said 15 front-plate, said hole being located intermediate of the guide means, the head of said screw coming in front of the front plate, .a collar fixed uponsaid screw at the back of said front plate,

bulge plate-extending forward therefrom a portion of the distance between the plates at the sleeve, the rear portion of the screw engaging the threads of the sleeve, whereby rotation of said screw varies the distance between "the plates.

.4. A front pad for an abdominal support com prising a front plate of substantially the full extent of the pad, 'abulge plate, convexed' rearof spaced rearwardly extending guide means upon': the front plate on its'flower portion, a vpair of forwardly extending guide 'means upon the bulge plate slidably engaging said former a means, an envelope covering I both plates having a: front portion-closely fitting to the front of the. front plate and a flexible rear portion provided with slack extending to the rear of both plates, a member rotatably mounted in an openingprovided in said front plate, said member extending in front of the front plate through the envelope for enabling said member to be manually rotated,

the front portion of said member-overlapping the edge of said hole both "in'the front and the .5 rear of the front plate toprevent axialrmotion of said member, and a piece on saidbulge plate extending forward, said member andsaid'piece being in engagement, the rotation of said member varying the-'distance'between the plates. 1

5. Inan abdominal support comprising body springs anda front pad having a front plate, a universal 'mounting' for attaching said springs'to the pad having a member with ashank and a plate, a cuppedend on the spring and a piece having a body portion and a cupped end, the

'bodyportion of said piecebeing fastened 'tofthe spring, holding the cupped end of the piece opposite the cupped end of the" spring, one of said ends slidably engaging-the forward surfacefof said rounded head' and the other jOfsaid ends slidably engaging the rearward surface of i said.

rounded head, said-latter end 'being provided with a slot through'whi'chsaid shank'passes 6'. In an abdominal support comprising body 'springs'and 'a-front pad having-a front plateja universal "mounting as claimed in claim 5 in which the cupped end engaging thefforwardsun face of the rounded headfis slotted substantially opposite the slot ofthe cuppedend engagingflthe 'WILLIAM WAq Ns'ErL'.

"rearward surface of the roundedhea'd.

rounded head, said shank being attached to the r 

